When a SCSI2SD board is connected to the computer (using a micro-USB cable), data on the SD card is not accessible. All you can do is upgrade the firmware, configure and save the settings.

Once formatted on the sampler, the SD card is no longer accessible on the computer (using an actual USB card reader). Ensoniq format is not supported, not even recognized (the computer can only format the card). So how to access, transfer and manage Ensoniq data on the SD card? Read below.

This is the directory where you have access to all (4) devices of the SCSI2SD V5 board. Only the ones that have already been formatted on the sampler will show up. You can see the device I labeled EPS+001 in my “Formatting a SCSI2SD device” video.

Select and open the device you want to access.

You can see all the default directories that were created, the OS and the free blocks (storage) information. It is exactly the same as shown on the sampler after formatting the device (see picture).

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PART 4: Computer to SCSI2SD

Years ago I was able to convert 3 Ensoniq CD-ROMs to the HxC Floppy Emulator format and I kept all the original content archived on my computer. More recently I was able to transfer that content to a device on a SCSI2SD board. Here’s my report:

First, in Total Commander (left window), I located on my computer the stuff that I wanted to transfer to the SCSI2SD device. I can navigate any folder and sub-folder in the directory structure. I can even open any Ensoniq (.EFE) file and listen to any wav sample inside from within Total Commander.

Photos:

Next, in the right window, I created a new folder (next to the default directories in the root directory) and transferred the 3 CD-ROMs into it. Everything worked well in Total Commander but once on the sampler, I found out that the new folder introduced bugs in the directory structure.

So I went back in Total Commander and deleted that new folder.

Went back on the sampler, booted from the SCSI2SD board and bugs in the directory structure were no longer there, everything was normal again. While on the sampler, I created a new directory using the “create directory” command and named it CD-ROMS.

I went back in Total Commander and transferred all 3 CD-ROMs into that new CD-ROMS directory.

Again, went back on the sampler to test. Booted from the SCSI2SD board and this time, everything was normal in the directory structure, no bugs.

All CD-ROMS content is now easily accessible from the default root directory; everything loads fast and works perfectly.

Conclusion: If you want to create a new directory, don’t do it in Total Commander or it will introduce bugs in the directory structure. Use the “create directory” command on the sampler instead.

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PART 5: CD-ROM to SCSI2SD

Run Total Commander.

Connect the micro-SD card to the computer using a USB SD card reader.

In the right window, choose the location on the card where you wish to copy the CD-ROM or data from it.

In the left window, select: Network Neighborhood

Double click on: Ensoniq Filesystems

Double click on CD-ROM

Highlight the data you wish to transfer

F5 to copy (transfer)

Click OK to confirm the upload.

PART 6: Image to SCSI2SD

Run Total Commander.

Connect the micro-SD card to the computer using a USB SD card reader.

In the right window, choose the location on the card where you wish to transfer the data.

In the left window, select: Network Neighborhood

Double click on: Ensoniq Filesystems

Double click on Image files

Select and mount the image

Highlight all the data you wish to transfer

F5 to copy (transfer)

Click OK to confirm the upload.

PART 7: Floppy Disk to SCSI2SD

If you wish to transfer floppy disks, you need a (720K/1.44MB) compatible internal floppy drive (USB floppy drives will not work), a free software called OmniFlop and a free licence for it, so it can be used within Total Commander.

I have used OmniFlop many times in the past but never within Total Commander. I use a floppy emulator so I didn’t have any Ensoniq floppy disk to try.

PART 8: External SCSI Drive to SCSI2SD

To transfer data from an external SCSI drive to a SCSI2SD device, you need an external SCSI2SD enclosure with 2 connectors, like the SyQuest EZ 135.

The active terminator needs to be disabled by removing the two resistor packs on the SCSI2SD V5 board.

Everything will be daisy-chained so each device must have its own SCSI ID.

Here’s an example:

Ensoniq samplers always have the SCSI ID #3.

Make sure you know the SCSI ID number of your external SCSI Drive. It has to be a unique number in the chain. Let’s pretend it is #6.

Make sure the target device on the SCSI2SD board isn’t set to the same SCSI ID as the external SCSI Drive. Let’s pretend the 4 devices of the SCSI2SD V5 board were configured to have SCSI ID # 0-1-2-4 and were already formatted on the sampler.

Using a SCSI cable, connect the sampler to one of the 2 Centronics 50-pin connector on the back of the SyQuest EZ 135.

Using another SCSI cable, connect the external SCSI Drive to the other Centronics 50-pin connector on the back of the SyQuest EZ 135.

First, power the external SCSI Drive. Wait a couple of seconds.

Next, power the SCSI2SD board. Wait a couple of seconds.

Now power the Ensoniq sampler.

Use the “COPY SCSI DRIVE” command on the sampler to copy, let’s say, SCSI ID #6 to SCSI ID #1.

To manage data on device #1, simply run Total Commander and connect the micro-SD card to the computer using a USB card reader.

When I try this, Total Commander only sees one of the four virtual drives on the SD card. It doesn't read the disk label, and it doesn't see the directories that were created when the drive was formatted on the EPS. I've tried it both as myself and as administrator, and on both an old WinXP box and a newer Win10 box. Does anyone have any thoughts as to what might be wrong? If I had any hair left I'd be pulling it out.

jjwright wrote:When I try this, Total Commander only sees one of the four virtual drives on the SD card. It doesn't read the disk label, and it doesn't see the directories that were created when the drive was formatted on the EPS. I've tried it both as myself and as administrator, and on both an old WinXP box and a newer Win10 box. Does anyone have any thoughts as to what might be wrong? If I had any hair left I'd be pulling it out.

lol i started reading the instructions and was like holy ****.. that’s a lot of steps. i’d be having a meltdown if i were you.

I'm having several problems. I'll start with this. I can't copy External SCSI Drive to SCSI2SD. Syquest EZ135 will not work with the "copy scsi" function. I keep getting "different size drives" error. I've tried scsi cable out the ASR10 to scsi2sd out to EZ135. (removed scsi terminators and using EZ135 terminator.) Iv'e tried scsi cable out ASR10 to EZ135 out to scsi2sd (terminated scsi) EZ135 is ID0 . I even created a 135meg partiton on the sd card to match storage size. WHat am I doing wrong? Just to be a bit more specific,,,,,,I CAN copy manually (1 file at a time) from ASR10 to SCSI2sd. I just want to transfer my EZ135 discs without having to do it 1 file at a time.